Marie Trzupek Lynch, the founding CEO of Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, will leave the job placement organization at the end of the year to take the top human resources job at Morningstar.
Lynch said she will become the chief talent and culture officer at Morningstar, a Chicago-based financial services firm. She has built Skills into a powerhouse nonprofit that finds and coaches job seekers, particularly those from poor communities, and connects them to companies needing qualified workers.
She said Skills is wrapping up its best year ever, having placed 1,500 people into jobs. The organization has raised $4 million toward a $10 million goal to bring its organizational model to other cities.
Lynch said that with the group positioned to expand, she felt it was time to seek a new challenge. “The organization is stronger than it has ever been. We have national expansion plans and the foundation to do that. I’m ready for my next ‘build,’” she said.
Morningstar has about 12,000 employees worldwide. Lynch said her new job will draw on her accomplishments at Skills. “Everything we’ve done is about talent acquisition,” she said.
Lynch started Skills in 2012, with philanthropic backing from Chicago business leader Penny Pritzker and others, after having run a predecessor organization for three years. The group now has a $10 million annual budget and 63 employees.
Skills will begin a search for her successor. In the meantime, Jim Coleman, a retired Accenture executive in Chicago, will serve as interim CEO.
Lynch said at Morningstar she will succeed Bevin Desmond, who is retiring.
Morningstar CEO Kunal Kapoor said, “The trajectory and impact of the organization Marie founded point to her successful leadership, flair for entrepreneurship, incredible knowledge of diverse workforce solutions and passion for the way the right professional opportunities can change people’s lives.”
Founded by billionaire Joe Mansueto, the company said it has been growing quickly and has 1,500 jobs open worldwide, including 400 in the United States. The Chicago Sun-Times receives funding from the Mansueto Foundation.
Skills said that in the past 10 years it has placed 10,000 people into jobs at 120 businesses. Its national expansion has a goal of bringing services to 25 cities by 2032.
In connection with that campaign, Skills said last week it has received a pledge of $750,000 from the Charles Koch Foundation.
